Los Angeles: Fire Forces Evacuations, Burns Homes in Sylmar Area

FOX News ^ | 15 November 2008

[bd476]

Fire Forces Evacuations, Burns Homes in Sylmar Area

Sayre Fire is near the 210 Freeway in Northern Los Angeles.

A dangerous, fast-moving brush fire in the Sylmar section of the San Fernando Valley, spread by gusting 50 mph winds has now burned at least five homes and is threatening several more, City Fire Department spokesperson Melissa Kelly said today.

So far there are no reports of injuries to residents or fire personnel, said Kelly.

The blaze ignited about 10:30 p.m. in the dry, brushy hills above 13000 W. Sayre Street near Shablow Ave, and has so far consumed more than 500 acres.

[cake_crumb]

"How do fires just pop up like that?"

Dry lightening, intellectual elitism (the campfire'll burn itself out) or deliberate arson.

There was one where some woman in Arizona went to commune with the Navajo gods, got lost and set a signal fire in the middle of the desert, thus burning about one third of Arizona...she got no fine or anything, because she was "distressed" when she set the fire that burned about a third of Arizona. But that sort of thing doesn't happen all that often.

My brother lives in CA and is an avid hiker and camper. He's told me several stories of walking along a popular hiking/camping trail, smelling a BIT more smoke than is comfy, checking it out, and stomping out the abandoned campfire of shoveling dirt over it. He said that finding drug paraphernalia was pretty usual in those cases. He got to the point where he checks out every campfire he hikes past, just in case. I wish more people did that.

[cake_crumb]

"Those tanks are an eyesore, there'd be protests about them."

Yep. PA, home of the best fire specialists in the country until Tom Ridge drew up HFI for President Bush, took down all their water towers for the same simple-minded reason. It apparently wasn't worth the money to keep them repainted and therefore somewhat less offending to the discriminating eye. Go figure.

[spectr17]

I see dumbazzes toss lit cigs every week right next to dry brush on the hillsides. Many of the fires you see startling alongside freeways are car fires or tossed lit cigs.

[Brad’s Gramma]

KFI......(grrrrrrrr) “SOMEWHERE”, a couple of people have been arrested for arson.

[adlucem]

What do we know about the source of these fires? I remember hearing somewhere that one of Al Qaeda’s ideas was to start a bunch of fires like this.

[cake_crumb]

"Am I one of the few who is old enough and enough of a long term LA native to remember Dr. George's disaster documentaries where he went through all the causes of the great LA fires, how homeowners need pumps and generators to turn their pools into water supplies for firefighters, etc?"

No. I speak for both Hubby and me.

[Shire]

Wow! I know here in Texas I have to drive a lot for my job and I get insane when I see someone toss out a lit cigarette butt. It makes no sense to me but they do it anyway. My house is in the country and I also get ticked by people shooting fireworks at my house. I guess I am just not comfortable with fires.

[spectr17]

Just an FYI to the smokers. Fire Patrols do record license plate numbers of the goofs who toss out lit cigs. If you smoke and you toss your lit cigs out your car window be ready to pay the piper. No sympathy here if you azz gets hung out to dry.

[cake_crumb]

"I remember hearing somewhere that one of Al Qaeda’s ideas was to start a bunch of fires like this."

Too tired to do the Chicken Little Dance tonight. Go away.

[spectr17]

San Dimas S&R being activated. I didn’t catch the reason. Anyone?

[cake_crumb]

(Hubby and I smoke cigars) but even here in PA, we ALWAYS put the buggers out on the glass of the window if the ash tray is too full to fit them. Hubby spent too many years fighting forest fires to start one. There is actually an original Smoky the Bear sticker on the wall in front of me...it always seemed wrong to pull it off. ALWAYS think of the consequences of your actions because lives DO depend on it!

[spectr17]

LA Mayor Tony Villar on.

Ah, um, ah

pause

ah, , ah um, ah

Worst public speaker in history. Unwatchable. Don’t his handlers realize how bad he comes off with his speaking?

[al baby]

I was in ala today man orange county is on fire big time snowing ash in west Anaheim

[Brad’s Gramma]

Don’t his handlers realize how bad he comes off with his speaking?

They probably think He. Is. BRILLIANT! :)

[spectr17]

LAPD Chief BRatton speaking on CH 9 from Hanson Dam

[cake_crumb]

People shoot FIREWORKS at your HOUSE?? You have legal recourse for that. It is called malicious mischief. Try it. Hubby and got stuck putting out a fireworks-induced blaze at a drunken party once, and then had to treat one guy who tried the “light the M80 and then toss it” trick. This was NOT amusing.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Yep...

How’s the air in your area?

[al baby]

its gross

[al baby]

Crazy

[Brad’s Gramma]

For some reason, I’ve been spared.

I’m inviting FRers here...so they can breathe. YOU are required to fix wallboard, tho. ;) :) :)